The Portland City Council should request an EPA Safe Drinking Water Act Waiver and Not cover or close reservoirs

Testimony for EPA Safe Drinking Water Waiver- LT2

March 13, 2013
Portland City Council

Good morning. Now is the time for Portland City Council to request an EPA – Safe Drinking Water Act Waiver.

Without the waiver- Portland will continue to increase water utility rates that have doubled over the last decade, continue to lose jobs as we have seen with Siltronics and Steinfelds, AND reduce water quality while jeopardizing the microbrew industry and the health of children……all for a Cryptosporidium public health problem that has NEVER existed and NEVER WILL because we do not have exposure to sewage, in our Bull Run drinking water.

So why are we asking for an EPA Waiver?

-The public health science for Portland supports a waiver

-EPA is currently reviewing the regulation, and sees data showing the opposite of what they projected the last 20 yr.

No surface water utility outbreaks from Cryptosporidium

No deaths linked to drinking water and Cryptosporidium

No endemic drinking water disease linked to Crypto-

These outcomes are consistent with my comments made a decade ago requesting a waiver, because I identified sewage… not Cryptosporidium as the cause. The City of New York has also made a request for a waiver from LT2. We are not alone.

Comments from current Council members- quote

“spending a lot of money to address a public health problem that may not exist sticks in my craw” — Commissioner Steve Novick

“we need to review water budgets in great detail and see where we can reduce costs” — Mayor Charlie Hales

“the federal government insists we solve a problem that doesn’t exist and further insists we pay for this folly” — Commissioner Nick Fish

The scientific papers I’ve written over the years provide the guidance for a successful outcome leading to an EPA waiver exempting us from LT2. The scientific hard work has already been completed. Now it’s up to Council. Bull Run has provided safe healthy drinking water for over 100 years without a microbial or chemical public health incident. As a city we NEED and DESERVE the waiver…. and we all need to start working together now. Thank you.

Over a decade ago a broad based community stakeholder group requested the City of Portland obtain an EPA Waiver from the scientifically unsupported Long Term 2 Enhanced Surface Water Treatment Rule, (LT2). The weight of scientific evidence continues to show added treatment and covering the reservoirs are unnecessary, introducing toxic and carcinogenic chemicals into the drinking water. Additionally, we have spent hundreds of millions of dollars for a public health problem that does not exist. We want an EPA Waiver to stop the wasteful spending and retain safe healthy drinking water. We are not alone. New York City is asking for an EPA LT2 Waiver. Crowley Spearheads Call for EPA to Waive Hillview Reservoir Mandate

SOUTHEAST EXAMINER

Continuing resistance of water ruling Bull Run
March 2, 2013
By Stephen Paulsen

Scott Fernandez M.Sc. biology/ microbiology recently spoke at a town hall in the Mount Tabor neighborhood. He spoke in favor of an EPA Safe Drinking Water Act Waiver from the Long Term 2 Enhanced Surface Water Treatment Rule. Scott asked to stop wasting hundreds of millions of dollars for a public health problem that does not exist, and keep our Bull Run drinking water safe and pure… more…

Moms for Safe Drinking Water

For over a decade citizens of Portland have been asking for a waiver from the EPA LT2 regulation that would unnecessarily force us to cover our reservoirs and add UV treatment for a public health problem that does not exist.